Navigating Sustainability

Navigating Sustainability: A Strategic Imperative for the 21st Century Brand

Sustainable practice is no longer a fringe CSR activity, with people across the world educated about climate change and the looming threat of a dying earth. Now, responsible brands are seen as innovative and quality-driven, aligning with customer values and priorities. Andrew Martins’ very pertinent article in the Business News Daily “Most Consumers want sustainable products and packaging” indicates a 71% increase in online searches for sustainable goods globally. The trend is not just in first world countries but also in developing and emerging economies. Martins references The Economist survey’s findings, how consumers believe that brands must drive the change as much as governments to protect our natural resources and environment. With millennials and GenZ shaping the way forward for marketplaces (see our previous article in RUSH), it’s clear that brands need to become proactive about sustainability, interweaving environmental concerns, quality of life and livelihoods to garner customer loyalty.

Here are some ways how brands are striving to make a change for the future of our planet by responding to TOM consumer concerns:

1. How will this product or package impact the environment once I discard it?

Using recyclable materials in products and processes

A December 2022 Forbes article says, “One of the largest single-use plastic categories is for water bottles. Americans purchase around 50 billion of these bottles every year – 151 per person! World-wide it is estimated that 583 billion water bottles were used in 2021.” So now, we have plastic bottles being produced by the zillions for bottled water so that we can “drink safely” and “conveniently”. Huge profits for the packaged distilled water industry means more plastic going into the landfill. Enter Responsible Whatr, the first Indian brand to offer natural spring water in “endlessly recyclable aluminum cans”. Amazon reviews summarize that, “Customers like the taste, appearance and hydration of the water. They mention that it has a crisp taste and feel, it's interesting, thoughtful and surreal. They also say it'll keep them hydrated and is a better alternative to plastic bottled water.”

With the proud claim of having recycled 30,000 tyres, Paaduks, a vegan footwear brand, based in Kurla, Mumbai offers handcrafted shoes by skilled shoemakers, using upcycled waste. Started by Amit Jain with a quest to craft sustainable footwear, Paaduks has evolved into a vibrant and thriving sustainable community.

Paaduks

Skechers, the third largest athletic footwear company in the world, launched ‘Our Planet Matters’ in 2021, a collection of sustainable men’s women’s and children’s products, incorporating recycled materials. Their commitment reflects in their report Our Footprint Matters, right up to packaging — 93% of their boxes are recyclable.

Skechers

2. Can I do something with my old gear, and can they become of use to someone else?

Being committed to trade-ins and upcycling

With an increasing culture of buying new and discarding the old, used clothing finds low demand, increasing trash going to the landfill. Giving this dilemma a new twist is the culture of thrifting. Across the world, there’s an enviable list of the best cities to do thrift shopping from Paris (France), Tokyo (Japan), Seattle (USA), and Bristol (UK). In India, filmstars have opened up their wardrobe to consumers, and you can now shop at The Deepika Padukone Closet from as low as 2100.00 INR to as high as 62,000 INR.

Deepikapadukone.com/closet

Clothing brand Patagonia has set a commendable example by offering to trade in used clothes through their Worn Wear programme (in which clothes are given a new life by upcycling, repairing, and repurposing).

Mega MNC Samsung launched their environmental campaign in 2022 ‘#Changes start from small steps’. As per the Samsung newsroom, the campaign film exemplifies how Samsung’s efforts have been in converting ocean-bound plastics such as discarded fishing nets to produce high-resolution monitors and Galaxy devices.

Our project at LOPEZ for the PMNCH conference in 2020 involved Pipli artisans, giving them a livelihood, and the conference materials were all repurposed at the end of the event, giving them a second and more memorable life. The brand and its mission lived on with all the participants.

2020 Partners Forum at New Delhi with participants are seen wearing sustainable and repurposed items designed by Lopez Design

3. I love many of my brands and I’m happy to use them longer — if only they would last!

Creating high quality products with long lifetimes

A quality product can be more expensive to buy, but if it lasts longer and serves well, we won’t discard it, which means junk going back to the earth far less frequently. The shift by consumers to buy consciously has resulted in the counterculture of sustainable fashion versus changing fashion trends. Shoe brands are developing products that are timeless, durable and environmentally friendly — from recycled PET to the use of bamboo, organic cotton, leather up to low-impact inks and the introduction of innovative technologies that reduce waste and minimize environmental impact.

Furniture giant IKEA is committed to making furniture that lives longer or gets a second life, as they have stated, ‘The potential to repurpose, refurbish, repair, reuse, resell and recycle will be built into every IKEA product, step by step over the next coming years.’

4. Am I contributing to the degradation of the planet by consuming this product?

Creating high quality products with long lifetimes

A participant at India Design ID 2024 lamented how most stalls were made by buying materials like plywood and board, and constructing on the spot: consequently, truckloads left the site with waste materials. Prefabricated modules as well as planned construction can reduce wastage while providing greater quality control as well as timely assembly.

Manufacturing with lower stress on the environment is one of the key ways in which we can reduce pollutants and waste going back to the earth. Renacon offers AAC (Autoclaved Aerated Concrete) blocks, which are an efficient alternative compared to traditional bricks and cement blocks, as they use less raw materials, while making the building process quicker and less labor intensive.

5. Am I contributing to the degradation of the planet by consuming this product?

Making eco-friendly products and solutions

Celebrated Compostwali of Bengaluru, Poonam Bir, who passed away earlier this month, believed in ‘wasting less, composting more, and buying sensibly’. She kept her commitment alive by constantly spreading the message of composting (home & industry) with her terracotta product Daily Dump.

Smart innovations like transparent wood, which is lighter and stronger and more thermally efficient than glass, can replace it in buildings, reducing heat generation and loss. More than 97% of Apple’s packaging is now fiber-based, starting with the new Apple watch in 2023, with an aim to be carbon neutral by 2030.

IKEA is not only a furniture manufacturer, they also boast cafes and food courts. In fact, they are the sixth largest food chain in the world. Making a conscious effort, IKEA has been carefully shaping its food program to make it more sustainable, such as introducing plant-based and salmon meatballs.

6. By purchasing this, can I impact people’s livelihoods? Can I actually benefit the economy?

Employing traditional methods and processes to create sustainable livelihoods

In India, many fashion and clothing labels now go the extra mile to create handmade clothing, linen and cottons, as well as encouraging artisanal processes. Consumers are willing to pay the additional costs, as they recognize the value of these goods, being conscientious about the environment.

11.11 for instance operates by collaborating with clusters of artisans across India, departing from mainstream manufacturing and pushing for handmade processes with its “seed to stitch” philosophy.

Designer Anu Tandon Vieria has been doing this with The Retyrement Plan, repurposing discarded tyres into seats and objects, as well as working with artisans to bring handmade processes alive and increase vocational livelihoods.

Jaipur Rugs is committed to social equity, women empowerment and creating sustainable livelihoods with 40,000 artisans in JRF over six states in India. Their artisanal clusters have developed a wide range of rugs, revolutionizing the carpet industry in India.

In conclusion, sustainability extends far beyond being eco-friendly. McKinsey’s report The State of Fashion 2020 emphatically puts Sustainability First relating to an audience actively ushering a sea change. Brands, both local and global are emerging in this category because they can simultaneously showcase a holistic approach for their brand that is socially responsible, ethical and showing economic resilience. The new wave aims for a cleaner future by combining innovative technology and the wisdom of older traditions towards the promise of a brave new world.

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